Center for Spiritual Leadership

The Center for Spiritual Leadership at Harding University is a partnership between Harding University and Pure Heart Vision, a non-profit organization helping churches mature in God's mission.

Our Mission

Center the spiritual leadership of churches on God's life lived through God's people.

Our logo symbolizes John 7:37-39 where Jesus said that thirsty people can come to him and drink. Out of their heart, he promised, would flow a river of living water. He was describing the Holy Spirit quenching our thirst by settling the love of God in our hearts (cf. Romans 5:1-5) and then living God's life through us as He completes His ministry on earth. We are the once, but no longer, thirsty who cannot keep from loving others as God has loved us. Now, we seek to deepen the spiritual leadership capacity of the church to face modern day challenges by redefining leadership, connecting biblical theology to application, and empowering faithful caregivers.

Our mission is to implement initiatives funded by Pure Heart Vision as a collaborative partnership with Harding University.

From mentorships to student worker positions and scholarships, our partnership with Pure Heart Vision is connecting students to opportunities to further the kingdom. Pure Heart Resources »

Faculty Connections

The Center for Spiritual Leadership seeks to creatively partner with motivated faculty members in ways that bless the church at large, bless students who learn under these professors, and bless the faculty members with whom we partner. We have several projects occurring that are allowing all of us to collectively have a deeper and more profound impact for the Kingdom.

Student Opportunities

Student Workers

The Center for Spiritual Leadership employs student workers in various capacities. These positions provide helpful experience and financial resources for the future leaders of the Church. Students will do work such as transcribe lectures from faculty and various experts, assist in hosting events, do data entry, assist in research projects, and do everyday office management tasks.

Scholarships and Mentorships

Scholarships and mentorships are available for students whose dedication to both their spiritual and academic lives are exemplary. Students will develop a work ethic of the highest standards, learn to creatively engage challenges, learn to give and receive constructive feedback, to make progress on unsolved problems, and learn a love for becoming caregivers to the sacred stories of other people’s lives.

Servant Seeker

The TEST Center for Spiritual Leadership employs student workers in various capacities. These positions provide helpful experience and financial resources for the future leaders of the Church. Students will do work such as transcribe lectures from faculty and various experts, assist in hosting events, do data entry, assist in research projects, and do everyday office management tasks.

Minister Transitions are one central location for resources relevant to your search such as consultant options for the transition, contact people who know of potential ministers/churches, interim ministry options, fill in speaker options, potential workshops during the transition, compensation benchmarks for ministers, sources for ministers/churches advertising their search, lectures on managing the transition well, and a Ministry Transition Ebook for church search committees.

This tool also gives both the search committees and ministers the ability to take a Ministerial Proximity Test, which gives seekers an estimation of how theologically compatible they might be with other seekers.

Dr. Flavil Yeakley's research provides historical data about the churches of Christ dating back to 1969, church growth insights, and valuable leadership insights from one of our tradition's best scholars and statisticians.